If you’re looking for the perfect flick to satisfy your movie night, I’ve got you covered with this Netflix round-up. I’ve watched all of them and easily give them two thumbs up.
Whether you want some high-adrenaline action, heist fun, or an existential crisis wrapped in pink, these films are bound to entertain.
5
Mission: Impossible
|
Release Year |
1996 |
|---|---|
|
Runtime |
1 hour 50 minutes |
The action-packed Mission: Impossible franchise has grown into a juggernaut, spanning eight movies since 1996, potentially ending with this year’s The Final Reckoning. Considering recent outings have had star Tom Cruise hanging off planes and scaling the Burj Khalifa, it’s amusing to look back at the first film, simply titled Mission: Impossible, where the most iconic scene seems tame in comparison: agent Ethan Hunt slowly lowered by rope to infiltrate the CIA headquarters.
Nevertheless, that scene, and indeed the movie as a whole, still stands up as a hugely enjoyable watch. The story might not be the strongest—the series has never really succeeded on that front—but it’s unabashed fun, with Cruise on top form. Whether you’re coming to this for the first time, or circling back to remind yourself how it all began, you’re in for a fun ride.
The first five Mission: Impossible films are new to Netflix for July, so the further antics of the Impossible Mission Force are waiting for you.
4
Shiva Baby
|
Release Year |
2020 |
|---|---|
|
Runtime |
1 hour 18 minutes |
You may have seen 2023’s Bottoms, directed by Emma Seligman, but you shouldn’t overlook her directorial debut from a few years prior. Shiva Baby tells the story of Danielle, played by rising talent Rachel Sennott, a young woman who attends a Jewish funeral service and is shocked to find that her sugar daddy and ex-girlfriend are there too.
Shiva Baby plays out in real time and doesn’t outstay its welcome, as Danielle deals with the mounting chaos of her different lives colliding in a confined space full of family—including her parents. It’s awkward and claustrophobic, but that’s what makes it so darkly funny.
3
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
|
Release Year |
2024 |
|---|---|
|
Runtime |
1 hour 19 minutes |
Hapless inventor Wallace and his long-suffering pooch Gromit have been entertaining audiences since 1989, when the pair went to the moon to taste its cheese, so it was delightful to see them return in 2024 for the feature-length Vengeance Most Fowl. Wallace’s latest venture is to send robotic gnomes out as gardeners, but criminal mastermind Feathers McGraw (who is either a penguin or chicken) hacks them to do his evil bidding.
This is yet another success for British studio Aardman, and one that will tickle both adults and children alike. It maintains the charm the series is known for, with plenty of silly jokes and background details, and the claymation animation is outstanding—the fact that you can understand exactly what Gromit is thinking, without him ever saying a word, never ceases to be impressive.
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A fitting, family-friendly movie that’s fun for everyone.
2
Barbie
|
Release Year |
2023 |
|---|---|
|
Runtime |
1 hour 54 minutes |
Who knew that a live-action movie about a children’s doll could prove so popular? Considering it grossed over a billion dollars and was nominated for many Academy Awards, Barbie was an undeniable hit. If you didn’t check it out in theaters during the summer of Barbenheimer, now’s the time to right that wrong—it’s a surprisingly heartfelt and funny watch.
Starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken (both giving it their all), the duo live a perfect life in the colorful Barbie Land, complete with dance breaks. But when Barbie has an existential crisis, she travels to the real world to understand what’s happening to her, complete with gloriously meta moments like Barbie encountering the CEO of Mattel.
1
Logan Lucky
|
Release Year |
2017 |
|---|---|
|
Runtime |
1 hour 59 minutes |
Before Daniel Craig surprised audiences with Benoit Blanc in Knives Out, he actually put his amusing Southern American accent to good use in Logan Lucky, an ensemble heist comedy from director Steven Soderbergh, also starring the likes of Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, and Riley Keough.
Soderbergh is no stranger to heist movies, since he’s one of the people behind the 2000s Ocean’s trilogy, but the family in Logan Lucky are far less slick. Here, they attempt to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway, after Tatum’s Jimmy is fired from his construction job there. The result is a clever caper with some fantastic performances.
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When you’ve finished watching these movies, take a moment to secure your Netflix account. Sign out of shared devices, update your password, and add a phone number to your account—all of this ensures that only authorized people have access to your Netflix.
